How to Make Your Home Cat-Friendly

Cats can be cute, loveable, playful, stubborn, and everything in between.

They’re wild animals that have evolved into furry household companions and while they may have been generally domesticated, they still have some quite specific needs that your home needs to meet if you want to provide a healthy, safe space for them to live and thrive.

If you’re looking into welcoming a new feline into your home, you’ll have to prepare not only yourself and your pocket, but also your home for their presence.

As a pet owner, it’s your utmost responsibility to keep them healthy, happy, and comfortable with their care and environment. Being curious creatures, cats love to explore their surroundings, thus the importance of making your home as cat-friendly as possible.

That being said, here’s a little guidance on how to make your home cat-friendly:

Provide their living essentials

Your home should also be your feline’s home. It has to be a safe place for them to roam freely and they should have access to everything that covers their basic needs such as food, water, and shelter.

Since these are their fundamental living requirements, failure to provide these in the first place would make it a bad experience for your cats.

Whiskers are paramount to feline senses as they use them to determine opening widths, navigate the surroundings, and more. To avoid whisker stress, use a shallow bowl or dish when feeding your cat. Place an uncontaminated water bowl separate from their food’s placement, and make sure to change the water regularly.

If you don’t know anything about feline diet and nutrition, take a look at these tips for cat owners to learn more about your feline’s basic needs.

Make use of vertical space

Felines love exploring high places as their vantage point.

This behavior has evolved from wildlife as elevated positions give them the advantage to easily spot dangers in their surroundings. Therefore, you can make use of the vertical space in your home to build structures that accommodate their climbing.

Here are some ideas to utilize your vertical space:

Shelves with non-slip surface cleaned regularly from dust and dirt
Freestanding wardrobes and cupboards for higher elevation
Floor-to-ceiling scratching posts with branches for climbing
Cat condos or cat towers that have been designed for this exact purpose

Regardless of which vertical design you’re planning to create, make sure that it’s both easy and safe to climb and get down from. Allowing your cat to climb in high elevated spaces gives them room for exercise, too.

Keep harmful substances away from reach

Aside from providing your feline’s specific needs, it’s also crucial to keep them away from safety risks and hazards that commonly exist in households. With their natural curiosity and climbing abilities, cats may sniff, ingest, or play with items that may be harmful and toxic to them, such as medication, cleaning chemicals, and pesticides.

That’s why it’s crucial to store these items in cabinets with secure doors or drawers to ensure that it’ll be difficult for your furry friends to access them. Avoid leaving these on the floor, on top of tables, countertops, and similar surfaces.

Lastly, learn more about which foods are harmful to felines and store them securely in your refrigerator or pantry. Also, keep your trash bin closed and inaccessible to your cat, especially if it contains spoiled and contaminated food.

Let your felines be curious and have fun

Being curious creatures, cats love to explore their surroundings, thus the importance of making your home as cat-friendly as possible. Felines also seek fun and entertainment, particularly if you’re not home to play with them.

Introducing intentional stimulation will keep your cat occupied and entertained, while also pet-proofing your home, as they won’t get bored and find more destructive ways of having a fun time (like scratching your furniture or ripping your shaggy carpet to shreds).

Here are some foolproof tips and ideas to let your feline have fun at home:

Give out small treats with a puzzle feed.
Make DIY cat toys using cardboard boxes, tissue rolls, yarn, and the like.
Invest in automated cat toys while you’re away.
Explore the outdoors with your cat and use a leash with ID tags

cat having fun with an empty cardboard box

Eliminate stress inside the household

Lastly, felines also experience stress and anxiety even in their own home. As much as possible, keep your cat away from various stressors.

Typically, social stress arrives when a new feline is introduced into the household since this will open competition for food and shelter. If you have more than one furry friend, make sure to prepare extra food and water bowls, litter boxes, and resting spaces to accommodate every cat in the household.

Conclusion

Your home environment and lifestyle have significant influences on your feline’s happiness and sense of comfort. By considering these tips in curating a cat-friendly household, it’s a win-win situation for you and your cat as you can protect your home from damage while guaranteeing a pleasant environment for your beloved feline.